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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Call for Nominations. Mystery Readers Journal subscribers and members of Mystery Readers International can nominate for the Macavity Award in five categories for works that were published in 2008. Best Mystery, Best First Mystery, Best Mystery Short Story, Best Critical/Biographical/Reference, Best Historical Mystery. Deadline for nominations is April 10. To nominate, send an email with subject line Macavity Nominations. You can nominate in as many categories, as you'd like. Be sure and put your full name in the body of the email. You must have been entered in MRI for '08 or '09 to nominate. Ballot will go out to member/subscribers by May 1.

Hat tip to Declan Burke for posting the Irish Book Awards crime fiction shortlist. Sadly John Connolly, Ken Bruen and Declan Hughes are not on the list. However, Alex Barclay (Blood Runs Cold), Arlene Hunt (Undertow), Tana French (The Likeness) and Brian McGilloway (Gallows Lane) made the cut. The Irish issue of Mystery Readers Journal is still available in hardcopy. It was one of our best ever largely due to the support of Declan Burke.

The Strand Magazineannounced the nominees for its 2008 Critics Award for Best Mystery Novel and Best First Mystery Novel. Intended to recognize excellence in the field of mystery fiction, the Critics Awards are judged by “a select group of book reviewers from the nation’s top daily newspapers.”

In a press release, The Strand explained its award methodology:

“All judges sent to me, as committee chairman, a list of their 10 favorite books. I made a list that included all of these books--and a disparate selection it was--and the five with the most votes were to be the finalists,” said Otto Penzler, the world famous publisher and proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop. “As it happened, there were three books that made it onto the short list, with five others tied for fourth, so we had a runoff with an extra round of voting to determine the top five nominees. Judges were then asked to list these top five in order of preference, with a first-place vote awarded five points, a second-place vote four points, and so on.”

“I couldn't have been more pleased with this selection of nominees,” said Andrew F. Gulli, the managing editor of The Strand. “When I read several of these books last year, I had a feeling they would be nominated for the Critics Award.”

The awards will be presented at an invitation-only cocktail party on July 8 in New York City. A lifetime achievement award will be given posthumously to English author John Mortimer.

Best Novel:When Will There Be Good News?, by Kate Atkinson (Little, Brown)Master of the Delta, by Thomas H. Cook (Houghton Mifflin)The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)Lush Life, by Richard Price (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)Hollywood Crows, by Joseph Wambaugh (Little, Brown)

Best First Novel:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson (Knopf)City of the Sun, by David Levien (Doubleday)A Cure for Night, by Justin Peacock (Doubleday)Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing)A Carrion Death, by Michael Stanley (Harper)

BEST THRILLER OF THE YEARHold Tight by Harlan CobenThe Bodies Left Behind by Jeffrey DeaverThe Broken Window by Jeffrey DeaverThe Dark Tide by Andrew GrossThe Last Patriot by Brad Thor

BEST FIRST NOVELCalumet City by Charlie NewtonChild 44 by Tom Rob SmithCriminal Paradise by Steven ThomasSacrifice by S. J. BoltonThe Killer’s Wife by Bill Floyd

BEST SHORT STORYBetween the Dark and the Daylight (Ellery Queen Magazine) by Tom PiccirilliLast Island South (Ellery Queen Magazine) by John C. BolandThe Edge of Seventeen (The Darker Mask) by Alexandra SokoloffThe Point Guard (Killer Year Anthology) by Jason PinterTime of the Green (Killer Year Anthology) by Ken Bruen

The 2009 ThrillerMaster, honoring an influential body of work, goes to David Morrell.

Recipients will be recognized and winners announced in New York at ThrillerFest 2009 which will take place at the Grand Hyatt, July 8-11. The banquet, where the awards will be presented, is Saturday July 11. For more information, registration and tickets, visit www.thrillerwriters.org.

Nominees for the 2009 Spinetingler Awards given out by Spinetingler Magazine. As Spinetingler editor Sandra Ruttan explains, “Winners in each category will be determined by public vote. Voting will be open until April 25, 2009. Please follow this link to cast your vote in any or all of the categories, to see the covers nominated, and to follow the links to the short stories.” The winners will be announced on April 30. Go here to vote. Unique category appellations include New Voice, Rising Star and Legend. Also nominees in Graphic Novel, Best Editor, Best Reviewer, Best Publisher, Special Services to the Industry, Best Cover, Best Short Story on the Web.

Monday, March 30, 2009

I needed to share this photo. Yes, this is what it may all come to--books not just as insulation, but as structure. You'll always have something to read, even if it means deconstructing. The true symbol of deconstruction literature with all its multiple meanings, layers and ideas. It will all be there.

Today's my birthday, and I've blogged a bit about it on my other Blog, DyingforChocolate, so I won't bore you here. Since this is a holiday, at least for me, I did a little research into Birthday mysteries. As always, I'd love to add to this list.

The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine aka Ruth Rendell

And One to Die On by Jane Haddam

The Fortieth Birthday Body by Valerie Wolzien

Seems to me I've read several mysteries with birthdays as jumping off points or deaths, particularly Golden Age mysteries. However, as I age, the more I forget, especially titles.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Donna Leon has long been one of my favorite mystery authors. In her Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedurals, she captures the city of Venice, interweaving the social scene and internal politics. Her latest crime novel, About Face (Atlantic Monthly Press), tackles the subject of the environment-a very real problem Italy faces today. I just received this mystery, so this isn't a review but an alert to all the Donna Leon fans.

As you know, I love to read mysteries set in a location I have visited or will visit. Now, Grove Press has published Brunetti's Venice, Walks with the City's Best-Loved Detective, by Toni Sepeda, with an introduction by Donna Leon. This is being simultaneously published with the latest Brunetti mystery, About Face. Tourists and armchair travelers can follow in the footsteps of Brunetti as he traverses the city he knows and loves. There are over a dozen walks, encompassing all six regions of Venice as well as the lagoon. This is a must have companion book for any fan of Donna Leon's series.Toni Sepada, the author of Brunetti's Venice, is a Venetian resident and longtime fan of Brunetti. She has been a Professor of Literature and Art history in Northern Italy for 15 years, and has been conducting authorized tours of Brunetti's Venice for years.

Thanks to the Rap Sheet for all the additional information on Raymond Chandler--in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death. First, the Rap Sheet launched a poll a week ago to determine which of Raymond Chandler's seven original Philip Marlowe novels. The results are in. The Long Goodbye (1953) received the greatest number. For all the results, go Here.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

I can't believe I haven't mentioned in my blog that Left Coast Crime was absolutely fabulous. The location, well, it was Hawaii, so what's not to like? Programming was outstanding. Hats Off to Bill and Toby and the entire committee. Great job. Well done. Lee Goldberg was fantastic as Toastmaster. Rhys Bowen and Barry Eisler were terrific Guests of Honor. Pam Dehnke and Vallery were wonderful Fan Guests of Honor, and this year's quilt (Pam and Vallery make the quilts for each LCC) raised over $800 for charity. The Awards ceremony was great--and the awards themselves were beautiful. Lefty Award went to Tim Maleeny for Greasing the Pinata (Poisoned Pen Press)The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award went to Kelli Stanleyfor Nox Dormienda, A Long Night For Sleeping (Five Star) and The Hawaii Five-0 went to Neil S. Plakcy forMahu Fire (Alyson Books). Congratulations to the winners and all the nominees.

Everyone had a great time. There were participants from the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada and Japan--and turtles from the Pacific. Definitely an international convention in Paradise. I especially liked that there were so many families.

My panels: I interviewed Lee Goldberg who regaled us all with great stories on writing, TV and Hollywood. I also co-moderated the discussion on Left Coast Crime 101 with Toby Gottfried. Everything and anything you'd need to know about the convention and Hawaii. My last assignment was mystery bookgroups, and I'll be setting up a yahoo group to discuss different types of bookgroups, as well as keep track of what the bookgroups are reading. Some very unique formats for groups. I liked Gillian Roberts 'kindergarten' concept. Every participant in the group (mystery or whatever genre) has to bring a sentence, paragraph or page that they think is pivotal to the book or to their appreciation of the book. That quickly eliminates the "I liked it/I hated it" syndrome. More on this in a later blog.

As always it was great to see old friends and make new ones. That's what conventions are all about, at least for me.

Monday, March 16, 2009

I had a call from Robin Richmond Monday to inform me that Marion Richmond, his wife, had died after a long battle with cancer. I knew she had been ill, but it still came as a shock. I hadn't seen Marion in many years, but I followed her book news in various publications, and she was a subscriber and contributor to the Mystery Readers Journal.

I remember the first time I met Marion, some 30+ years ago. We had corresponded via letter--yes, this was before email, and we agreed to meet when I was in London. She took me to the London Book Faire! What a wonderful time. Books everywhere, and Marian knew everyone. It was very exciting to get an insider view of the international book business at that time. Later I attended Bouchercon in London in 1990. Marion and Robin Richmond were the co-chairs. It was great fun, and I got to meet many of the British and international writers. Marion also contributed articles to the Mystery Readers Journal on collecting and special authors. Although these articles are no longer available, and certainly not on computer, I did find an article online that Marion wrote about book collecting: Really Wicked Books. Marion and Robin lived in Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town. Robin intends to continue Ming Books

St. Patrick's Day figures into several mysteries, but since it's not a huge list, I've added some other Irish mysteries. I'm sure I'm missing several, so any additions are quite welcome.

Nelson Demille: CathedralAndrew Greeley: Irish Gold Jane Haddam: A Great Day for the DeadlyLyn Hamilton: The Celtic RiddleLee Harris: The St. Patrick's Day MurderJonathan Harrington: A Great Day for DyingWendi Lee: The Good DaughterDan Mahoney: Once in, Never OutLeslie Meier: St. Patrick's Day MurderSister Carol Anne O’Marie: Death Takes Up A CollectionRalph M. McInerny: Lack of the IrishJanet Elaine Smith: In St. Patrick's CustodyKathy Hogan Trochek: Irish EyesNoreen Wald: Death Never Takes a Holiday

You could also read Ken Bruen, Declan Burke or Declan Hughes on St. Patrick's Day. Raise a glass of Guinness for me. And, if you want something chocolate to go along with your stout, have a look at my DyingforChocolate blog for some killer recipes for Chocolate Guinness Cake.

After a career as an attorney, Parker found a new calling as a mystery writer. She wrote 12 mystery novels. No surprise, most of her mysteries were about Miami lawyers. To read more about Barbara Parker's wonderful career in her own words, go here.

If you'd like to leave a message about how her writing affected you, go here.

Left Coast Crime 2009 is off to a smashing start with Desserts to Die For last night at the Marriott Waikoloa, the convention hotel. Over 350 participants and even more friends and family have come to the big Island for this, the 19th Left Coast Crime. Panels, interviews, 15 minute Talk Stories, and more began in earnest today.

Participants have come from all over the world--from the U.S., Sweden, Australia, Germany, England, Japan, and I'm probably leaving some place out. Lots of informal places to chat at this beautiful property in Paradise. Birds keep flitting through, the turtles are on the beach, and the whales are passing by. What's not to like? And, we've all come here because we love mysteries!

Bill & Toby Gottfried have put together a great convention. The committee has worked hard for over two years, and the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. This is one sweet pudding! Wish you were here. And, if you are, and we haven't met, be sure and say hi! Mahalo.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

So as soon as I posted about Cara Black's latest Aimee Le Duc mystery, Murder in the Latin Quarter, two more mysteries came across my desk. Well, actually I read about the first one on The Rap Sheet. Haven't read it yet, but it sounds great.

Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling is a debut novel. Houghteling tells the stories of a Parisian art gallery owner whose collection of paintings was looted by the Nazis, and of his son’s quest to recover his father's lost masterpieces after the war. That's enough to hook me.

And, I just opened a package from The New Press with a copy of Beyond Suspicion: A Novel by Tanguy Viel, translated from the French by Linda Coverdale, with an introduction by Jonathan Lethem. This one is set in the South of France. "Set in the south of France where the stakes are high and no one is beyond suspicion, this Hitchcockian tale presents siblings and lovers in constantly shifting configurations. The grace and precision of Viel’s language are eloquently captured by prizewinning translator Linda Coverdale’s lyrical prose." It's a novella, and it just went on my TBR stack.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

There's nothing quite like Paris in the Springtime, but if you can't go, you can imagine yourself there as you read the new Cara Black, Murder in the Latin Quarter. This is the ninth Aimee Leduc investigation in Paris. Cara was at Murderati yesterday, and she'll be hitting the bookstores soon, hopefully near you. Here's her appearance line-up.

Murder in the Latin Quarter (Soho Press): In this novel, Mireille, a Haitian woman, enters the office of private investigator Aimee Leduc Detective proclaiming she is Aimee's half-sister, her father's illegitimate daughter. Aimee has been a virtual orphan since her mother's disappearance and her father's death, so she is thrilled by this new sister. Her partner, Rene, is not as moved, but Aimee embraces Mireille and soon finds herself involved in murky Haitian politics leading to murder. The setting is the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank of the Seine, in the old university district of Paris. Cara Black provides a strong look at late 1999s Paris as this tale includes the Mireille mystery, post-colonial nationalisms, homicide and economic globalization.

Cara Black sets her novels in different arrondissements. Her debut novel was Murder in the Marais and since then Aimee (and Cara) have explored, Murder in the Rue de Paradis, Murder in Montmartre, Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis, Murder in Clichy, Murder in the Bastille, Murder in the Sentier, Murder in Belleville, Murder in the Marais.

So grab a cafe au lait and a croissant and settle down to the next best thing to being in Paris in the Spring.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

I received a note from Barbara Franchi's husband, Rudy Franchi, this morning with the sad news that Barbara passed away last night. Her daughters, Jill, Susan, Regina, her son-in-law Tony, her grandson Bennett and her husband Rudy were at her bedside. Susan writes that "Barbara, a child of the Bronx, started her life as a teacher of geology and then gained prominence in the world of mystery fiction via her renowned review website (Reviewing the Evidence), and movie poster collecting, through her years of organizing auctions and running a major retail/internet operation. Her true joy was traveling across America with Antiques Roadshow and spending time in London. Barbara's blunt honesty and acerbic wit will be missed. She mentored many young reviewers, dealers and collectors, dispensing street smart advice mixed with self-learned literary perceptions. For those in the Los Angeles area, the family will be sitting Shiva on Sunday, March 8 at Jill's home, 3725 Mountain View Avenue, 90066."

I knew Barbara was ill, but we all hoped that she would pull through. We had all been looking forward to spending time with her at Left Coast Crime. I will miss chatting with Barbara at conventions. Susan had it right when she said Barbara had blunt honesty. When we were together, we talked about books, Reviewing the Evidence, and she always said and wrote what she thought. Susan also wrote that Reviewing the Evidence will continue with Sharon and others.

Born on Long Island in 1935 and raised in New York, Barbara gained her degrees through the benificence of the City of New York attending Hunter College and CCNY. She taught high school and college biology, general science, and geology in New York City high schools, CCNY and then Loyola of Montreal. In 1969, Rudy and Barbara started The Nostalgia Factory, which they finally sold in 2005, thereupon retiring to Los Angeles. She is the coauthor (with Rudy) of MILLER'S MOVIE COLLECTIBLES. Rudy is currently writing a mystery novel and she is researching a book to be with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences imprimatur. She has been a generalist on Antiques Roadshow since the first season and often fills in at the collectibles table when things get hectic. Her favorite mysteries tend to be police procedurals and what she calls medium boiled fiction. She also likes the crossover books between mystery and fantasy or science fiction. Her secret passion is for willy-wagglers, thrillers such as those by Clive Cussler and Matthew Reilly. She thanks Sharon Wheeler for taking over the unpaid and unappreciated office of editor of RTE and for making the site a professional looking and important one in the crime fiction field.

Another loss to the mystery community.Contributions in Barbara’s name can be made to Beit T’Shuvah, 8831 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034, USA

3/2/09 Ali Karim has a beautiful tribute to Barbara Franchi in The Rap Sheetincluding an extract from a piece he wrote for Red Herrings, the magazine of the British Crime Writers’ Association, talking about the origin and intentions of Reviewing the Evidence. I'm also including a photo Ali took of Barbara and the late Elaine Flynn.